{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,7]],"date-time":"2026-05-07T18:29:05Z","timestamp":1778178545821,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":45,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,5]],"date-time":"2026-03-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1772668800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Natural Science Foundation Youth Project of Shandong Province","award":["ZR2022QC030"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["ZR2022QC030"]}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100007129","name":"Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["ZR2024MC124"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["ZR2024MC124"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100007129","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"name":"Qingdao Agricultural University Doctoral Start-Up Fund","award":["XJ2023000401"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["XJ2023000401"]}]},{"name":"Founding of Shandong Agriculture Research System in Shandong Province","award":["SDAIT-08-04"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["SDAIT-08-04"]}]},{"name":"Founding of Shandong Agriculture Research System in Shandong Province","award":["SDAIT-08-05"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["SDAIT-08-05"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJMS"],"abstract":"<jats:p>This study investigated the mechanisms by which ZEA induces oxidative stress and apoptosis in the jejunum of piglets and explored the roles of the tumor suppressor gene p53 and nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) signaling pathways. Twelve weaned piglets were randomized into Control (basal diet) and ZEA groups (basal diet + 1.0 mg\/kg ZEA; 6 piglets\/group). No differences were observed between the control and ZEA groups for all production performance indicators. Compared with the jejunum of the control group, the ZEA group exhibited reduced levels of total superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase activity, and total antioxidant capacity, along with elevated malondialdehyde content. Morphological examination revealed increased crypt depth and decreased villus height and villus-to-crypt ratio, as well as swollen, vacuolated spherical mitochondria with disrupted cristae. Immunohistochemistry showed enhanced p53 and Nrf2 immunoreactivity. The relative mRNA levels of Nrf2, Ho1, Gpx1, Cytc1, p53, Caspase1, and Bax increased. The Bax\/Bcl-2 ratio increased, and Keap1 and Bcl-2 mRNA levels decreased. The relative protein levels of Nrf2, p53, Bax, Caspase1, and Gpx1 increased, whereas that of Bcl-2 decreased. All differences were significant at p &lt; 0.05. Dietary supplementation with ZEA altered the morphological structure of intestinal tissues and mitochondria. By affecting the expression of genes related to the p53 and Nrf2 signaling pathways, it induces intestinal oxidative stress and apoptosis, thereby impairing intestinal health in weaned piglets.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms27052401","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,5]],"date-time":"2026-03-05T10:31:14Z","timestamp":1772706674000},"page":"2401","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Zearalenone Induces Oxidative Stress and Apoptosis in the Jejunum of Weaned Piglets via the p53\/Nrf2 Signaling Pathway"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"27","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-5099-2570","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Yihao","family":"Sang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Sciences and Technology, Qingdao Agricultural University, No. 700 Changcheng Street, Qingdao 266109, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Shaojin","family":"Hou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Sciences and Technology, Qingdao Agricultural University, No. 700 Changcheng Street, Qingdao 266109, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Zhongfang","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Sciences and Technology, Qingdao Agricultural University, No. 700 Changcheng Street, Qingdao 266109, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4943-0322","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Shuzhen","family":"Jiang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Sciences and Technology, Shandong Agricultural University, No. 61 Daizong Street, Taian 271018, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Weiren","family":"Yang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Sciences and Technology, Shandong Agricultural University, No. 61 Daizong Street, Taian 271018, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Qun","family":"Cheng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Sciences and Technology, Qingdao Agricultural University, No. 700 Changcheng Street, Qingdao 266109, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,5]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"119183","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ecoenv.2025.119183","article-title":"SeMet attenuates zearalenone-induced autophagy in rabbit kidney to alleviate apoptosis through activation of PI3K\/Akt\/mTOR signaling pathway","volume":"305","author":"Lv","year":"2025","journal-title":"Ecotoxicol. 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